A year or so ago my P/S pump went, had it replaced it with an aftermarket unit because that's all I could find. The mounting faces are different enough that the belt wasn't aligned right and jumped a groove, so had the guys at Alpine Affaire do their best to fix it. It worked for a while, or no groove skipping at least, but after a few months the belt started to chirp upon a cold start. Soon enough it got worse, chirping for longer and longer periods after starting, so I had AA take another look. Realignment via spacer shuffling and a new belt fixes it, but only for another few months. I've been through this process with them 2 or three times now while it's been in for a servicing. The last time I think they'd had enough, and they reckon it's currently as good as it's gonna get. Bugger.
Fast forward to today and the chirping has been back for a little while now (as AA said it probably would), to the point that it's doing it ALL the time rather than just when cold. The annoying part is that nothing ever LOOKS misaligned, but then I know it probably doesn't take much to cause this considering the small distances between some of the pulleys. Video for your perusal, mind the volume- https://youtu.be/MWz2Qvx_BkI
Q1- Any suggestions for a permanent fix? Preferably one that doesn't involve fitting a new accessory belt every few months!
Q2- How dangerous is continued operation in this state? Specifically, is the belt likely to overheat and/or weaken, then start falling apart? Or is it an annoying but ultimately fairly harmless issue?
All discussion/thoughts welcomed, cheers
Fast forward to today and the chirping has been back for a little while now (as AA said it probably would), to the point that it's doing it ALL the time rather than just when cold. The annoying part is that nothing ever LOOKS misaligned, but then I know it probably doesn't take much to cause this considering the small distances between some of the pulleys. Video for your perusal, mind the volume- https://youtu.be/MWz2Qvx_BkI
Q1- Any suggestions for a permanent fix? Preferably one that doesn't involve fitting a new accessory belt every few months!
Q2- How dangerous is continued operation in this state? Specifically, is the belt likely to overheat and/or weaken, then start falling apart? Or is it an annoying but ultimately fairly harmless issue?
All discussion/thoughts welcomed, cheers